The final tally was 1,005 votes against holding a referendum of all
members of the Brownstone Brooklyn grocery store, and 653 in favor

The Park Slope Food Coop’s venture into the treacherous waters of
Middle East politics ended when its members voted overwhelmingly
Tuesday not to go forward with a referendum to boycott Israeli
products.

More than 1,600 members of the organic-food outpost packed the
Brooklyn Technical High School auditorum for the most debated issue
since the coop outlawed plastic grocery bags.

The final tally was 1,005 votes against holding a referendum of all
members of the Brownstone Brooklyn grocery store, and 653 in favor.

The proposal, suggested by a small but vocal group, was defeated
after 46 people voiced their opinion on whether banning Israeli olive
paste and hummus could make an international impact.

The meeting started around 7:45 p.m. — 45 minutes late to
accommodate the massive crowd — and ended with votes counted before
10.

Israeli-American Yoav Gaal was pleased with the outcome, saying
advocates of referendum had a “distorted” view of his nation.

“Israel is on the right side of this argument,” Gaal said.

Other members pleaded for a yes vote, condemning Israel’s treatment
of its Palestinian neighbors.

“Israel is a massive military power, funded with billions of our tax
dollars . . . colonizing Palestinian land,” one member said during a
debate.

Another scoffed at claims that the proposal was anti-Semitic.

“Criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic,” a speaker declared.

As they entered the meeting, members were handed a ballot asking them
to vote on whether to “participate in an international boycott,
divestment and sanctions movement to support Palestinian human
rights.”

One longtime member said the boycott would have gone against the
communal principles of the coop.

“We are an example on how to shop for food in peace,” the member
said. “Why would we want to ruin that?”